Chapter 532: Speak of the Tiger, and He Shall Appear
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 532: Speak of the Tiger, and He Shall Appear
The tiger descends.
With a single roar, the heavens tear; with a single step, the earth trembles; with a single breath, the grass and trees quake in fear. San'gun descends. The undisputed Beast King, whose mere presence, down to a single strand of fur, makes every other animal cower in terror, cover its eyes, bow its head, and weep, twitches its tail, its power echoing through the valley.
Even the great king who lives in a magnificent palace commands his retainers not to call him by his title when he climbs the mountains, lest the tiger thinks it is being summoned and comes sauntering down.
If that is the case for a mere tiger, what then of San'gun, the King of Tigers?
Humanity should be grateful that San'gun is content to rule over a single mountain. Had it not been so, they would never have dared to falsely claim the title of the planet’s dominant species.
A beast against which humanity, the self-proclaimed dominant species, could not guarantee victory. A being so revered that even other kings, who would fly into a rage at the appearance of any rival, use the name San'gun without hesitation.
So why was San'gun here?
No presence could be felt from the King of Tigers. For such immense power to stand before me, it was eerily silent. A real tiger, despite its size, can move with stealth, but San'gun in human form seemed to have devoured its own presence entirely.
But I knew. My mind-reading ability can read humans with perfect accuracy. In other words, any human I can’t read properly isn’t a proper human.
And then there was the dangerous sensation echoing in my mind, like seeing a desperate mural painted in blood by ancient humans who knew no letters. I didn’t know what it was, but it conveyed a sense of terror steeped in awe.
The other humans, however, had not yet grasped the same level of alarm as I had. Marquis Raphaeno, in particular, having been provoked by the Regressor and had his justification questioned by Sapien, was in a heated state, though he didn't show it.
To make matters worse, San'gun appeared to be a catkin, and beastkin were generally on Ende’s side, making them enemies of the Marquis. They were the beast-eared creatures he so disdained. Marquis Raphaeno was about to make the worst possible mistake.
“What’s this now? Are you that eager to see a dead wolf?”
No, could it even be called a mistake?
This was simply absurdity. To speak of the foolishness of a human confronting absurdity is to overestimate what a human truly is. No matter how close one is to the Axiom, no matter how honed one is by the pinnacle of civilization, unless you are a being who can change the world itself, you will be crushed and killed by its absurdities.
“You will answer my question with what you know.”
“If you’re so eager to see it, I’ll grant you death.”
Without a moment’s hesitation, Marquis Raphaeno thrust his rapier toward the girl before him.
He had already given the order to slaughter. If he hesitated now just because his target had the form of a girl, he would have to falter every time he killed someone from now on. Besides, killing a few beast-eared creatures to make an example of them was of no consequence. From the Marquis’s perspective, it was a rational decision.
The mercy of granting her a quick end was perhaps his only emotional consideration, but he could not have known that even this would become the worst possible choice.
A single one of San'gun’s whiskers twitched. Faced with a Master’s strike, all San'gun did was…
Wave a hand.
It was like a brushstroke through the air, as if its furry paw had been dipped in ink and swung with purpose. San'gun’s single, fluid stroke intervened in the trajectory of the Axiom.
And a black mark swallowed everything. Like a drawing on paper being smeared away, an absurd power crushed the slash and moved onward.
Marquis Raphaeno felt a strange sense of loss. He had certainly thrust his rapier, but not only the Qi he had imbued in it but the rapier itself had vanished without a trace. There had been no impact on his hand.
“…What?! A Master? A mage?”
Something that seemed to defy the Axiom had just occurred. Wary, Marquis Raphaeno leaped back.
When facing the Regressor or Grul, he had instantly recognized the nature of their power. But he couldn’t even begin to fathom what kind of power the girl before him had used. That fact was more than enough to put him on edge.
…All the while, he remained oblivious to the fact that his sharp hostility was steadily grating on San'gun’s nerves.
“General! The Black Tiger Seal is ready!”
“Just in time!”
Marquis Raphaeno welcomed the timely report.
The Black Tiger Army was the elite force of the vassal state, a unit of Qi practitioners led by Masters, their main strength. They were nearly invincible against opponents without a Master, but if that was all they had, their role would be no different from that of simple infantry. It would be a waste of an invincible army.
That is why elite units like the Black Tiger Army possessed other ‘Arcanes.’ They were accompanied by powerful relics and Unique Magic that made enemies unable to ignore them.
Since this was not a major engagement, no mages had been deployed, but the relic, the Black Tiger Seal, remained. Wary of Kito’s Unique Magic, the adjutant had already brought out the relic.
The Marquis commanded.
“Strike!”
“Yes, sir!”
The adjutant slammed the Black Tiger Seal down with all his might. An formless energy descended, crushing San'gun. The compressed wind kicked up dust as it billowed outward. Crunch, crack. Rocks were pulverized as if an invisible stamp had been pressed onto the earth, using the ground as paper. A tiger’s image was carved into the land.
A relic is a trace of Unique Magic left upon the world. When a mage dies, their deployed Unique Magic sometimes fails to dissipate. Such Unique Magic remains as a ‘relic,’ imbued with simple power but no will of its own.
And when only power remains, devoid of will, it often becomes slightly more potent than the original Unique Magic. Just like the Black Tiger Seal.
Once a mere ability to stamp seals in multiple places at once, the Black Tiger Seal now exerted immense pressure over a thirty-meter radius. The formless pressure trapped even the flow of the wind within its domain. Inside this zone, where gravity felt hundreds of times stronger, Marquis Raphaeno moved with ease.
The Black Tiger Seal was a stamp. As long as one knew the pattern it inscribed, one could move along its paths. Marquis Raphaeno could navigate the labyrinth drawn by the Black Tiger Seal with his eyes closed.
I didn’t want to bring out the Black Tiger Seal, but that thing is dangerous! If it sides with Ende, we might actually lose. I’ll slaughter it with all my strength from the very beginning!
In place of his vanished rapier, he drew a main-gauche with a pitch-black blade. The black main-gauche looked short, but it was a treasured sword with a hidden, invisible blade—a decisive move meant to exploit the openings of an enemy accustomed to a rapier’s length. The Marquis unleashed the Axiom without restraint, aiming the main-gauche at the beastkin girl’s neck.
Layered Blade, Secret Art! Fortissimo!
The secret art Marquis Raphaeno had polished for years unfolded. Past slashes and present slashes overlapped. While it was impossible for slashes to occupy the same space, the Axiom was an illogical force that defied common sense. An irresistible, endlessly renewing strike aimed for San'gun.
But absurdity renders human relics and human Qi Arts meaningless.
San'gun let out a low growl.
“Grrrrr.”
No one saw it. And so, I did not witness it either. The process vanished, and only the result remained.
The Marquis disappeared for a moment. Only after turning my head could I make out his blurry form flying through the air, folded in half. Fragments of his broken sword kept him company, so he wouldn't be lonely.
A beat later, thousands upon thousands of slashes shattered like glass.
Marquis Raphaeno’s Layered Blade—every slash left hanging in the air—shattered completely. The remnants of his Qi Art glittered like shards of glass in the sunlight. Amidst the shower of light, San'gun shook its body as if annoyed. It had merely shaken its head, but the shattered slashes flew in all directions like shurikens.
Marquis Raphaeno’s Layered Blade left slashes behind. But a slash, in the end, was just ‘force’—Qi imbued in a sharp blade and swung. In theory, if met with a much stronger force, even that slash could be broken.
That was easier said than done, of course. It was a force that could easily tear through steel. Moreover, the final strike he had unleashed was a blow that connected the past and the present. Even the Beast King should not have been able to withstand it.
But its opponent was San'gun. The King of Tigers.
Having torn everything apart with its teeth and claws, San'gun sought its next prey.
“General! Ugh, the Black Tiger Seal…!”
The moment the adjutant raised the Black Tiger Seal again, a massive paw closed in and covered his face. It was the last thing he ever saw. His neck snapped and his skin stretched as his head was pushed away from his body. CRUNCH. San'gun crushed his head into pulp and shook its hand clean.
Seeing their guarding adjutant die, the soldiers panicked.
“The Adjutant!”
Was it because his death was so swift and surreal, or because the Black Tiger Army was an elite force accustomed to death? Even after seeing their adjutant’s gruesome end, they charged forward, their eyes on the relic held by the corpse.
“Retrieve the relic! It must not fall into enemy hands!”
The Black Tiger Seal was a relic, a national weapon more useful than a mage. The Black Tiger Army fought San'gun with the sole conviction that the relic had to be recovered, even if it meant sacrificing several of their own. It would have been better if they had simply fled.
San'gun turned its head. Facing hundreds of humans approaching with drawn blades, it opened its mouth with a look of displeasure. Hhhhhh. The final intake of breath from a tiger before a hunt. A tiger’s inhalation is like the souls of those whose lives are about to end. A faint mist formed at its lips.
San'gun opened its maw wide and roared.
｢ ｣
It was lightning that erupted from below the heavens and an earthquake that rose from upon the earth. It was the mortal curse and the fatal cry of a beast that considers all creation its prey.
Though it was aimed at the Black Tiger Army, the mere aftershock shook my entire body. It felt as if fear itself was trying to tear me in half and flee with the pieces. A ringing filled my ears. I nearly lost my mind, but by anchoring my consciousness to the Regressor, I barely managed to endure.
Beside me, several of the beastkin fainted from the sound alone. Few remained standing with their wits intact. It was, quite literally, a scattering of souls. San'gun’s roar held the power to throw a person’s spirit into disarray.
…And what’s more.
“Hah!”
Even a beastkin standing behind San'gun lost consciousness and collapsed. And the Black Tiger Army, who had taken the roar head-on…
“…Ah.”
They were all completely vacant.
Were they dead? Alive? I couldn’t tell. Even when I tried to read them with my mind-reading, I heard nothing. San'gun’s roar had twisted their Qi and blood, shattered their senses, and stolen their minds. They were in a state no different from suspended animation. In the face of absurdity, the only way to survive is through a miracle. The few soldiers of the Black Tiger Army who had miraculously avoided a direct hit collapsed to the ground in fear.
“A wild beast came to me, and I took pity on the wolf who wished to act in my stead in my ferocity.”
But even that miracle was only possible if San'gun allowed it.
That’s not Unique Magic…! It’s power! Overwhelming power that surpasses humanity! This is, could it be… the Beast King…?!
Marquis Raphaeno, who had miraculously survived thanks to his Qi and protective gear, staggered to his feet. But just before he could even fully straighten his knees, he saw San'gun appear before him like a ghost and swallowed a groan. Ferocious eyes pierced straight through him.
How could one remain composed in the face of death? Marquis Raphaeno trembled, overcome by extreme fear.
No. Me. I, the Black Tiger General of the Lilac Vassal State and the Master of the Layered Blade, cannot die so meaninglessly…!
Before he could even open his mouth to beg for his life, San'gun’s blow struck, and the Marquis’s shoulder collapsed. The force was so intense that his right arm, hanging below the shoulder, snapped off and flew away. His spine buckled, his pelvis gave way, and his limbs were torn asunder, scattering in all directions.
Marquis Raphaeno of the Layered Blade, who had been an absurdity to others, met an absurd death.
“I have come to keep my promise.”